Posted
by
samzenpus
on Wednesday June 13, 2012 @06:47PM
from the feeding-the-machine dept.

MrSeb writes "Neuroengineers at MIT have created an implantable fuel cell that generates electricity from the glucose present in the cerebrospinal fluid that flows around your brain and spinal cord. The glucose-powered fuel cell is crafted out of silicon and platinum, using standard semiconductor fabrication processes. The platinum acts as a catalyst, stripping electrons from glucose molecules, similar to how aerobic animal cells (such as our own) strip electrons from glucose with enzymes and oxygen. The glucose fuel cell produces hundreds of microwatts (i.e. tenths of a milliwatt), which is a surprisingly large amount — it comparable to the solar cell on a calculator, for example. This should be more than enough power to drive complex computers — or perhaps more interestingly, trigger clusters of neurons in the brain. In theory, this glucose fuel cell will actually deprive your brain of some energy, though in practice you probably won't notice (or you might find yourself growing hungry sooner)."

I find out this spam to be fascinating... I can only suspect that since CowboyNeal left the joint either:
a) the system run itself and the dirty devil forgot to implement a self-learning mechanism.
or
b) He the code in such a spaghetti state that it's impossible for anyone else to modify.
Eitherway, I think he is to blame:)

There should be a -1 SPAM mod, which would take TWO points out of Karma.

Then it would simply become the next "-1, I disagree with this but can't refute it". And it wouldn't even slow down the spammers, as they don't give a damn about their karma.

Couldn't 'false spam' report send you to some kind of black list for becoming a moderator (apart from a -5 in your karma)?

Another moderators could review (if they wish to do it in their spare time) the spam mods, if they find a false spam mod, they could report it, so the moderator issuing the false spam could be punished. Isn't this viable?

I would have to assume that by the length of the spam post and how annoying it was even to skim over that it can only serve one of two purposes.1. some sort of google rank gaming2. To evoke a negative feeling towards MyCleanPC

Well... no. I didn't see his post, and didn't even notice it existed before seeing yours. So Slashdot moderation system is already doing a decent enough job of getting rid of his crap, without any need to "stop" him.

In actuality this will fuck up the SEO from this scam artist who wrote MYCleanPC.com [2girls1cup.nl] and counters his slimy spamming advertising MyCleanPC [2girls1cup.nl].

If everyone here on slashdot points to other disgusting sites for MyCleanPC [2girls1cup.nl], then people searching for malware virus removal with MyCleanPC [2girls1cup.nl] will have an awful surprise!:-)

What is the byproduct/waste product of the glucose after it's been harvested of its electrons? What are the effects of these byproducts in the CSF?

If there is significant glucose in the CSF as TFA states, why is it there? What effects could its depletion cause? How fast is it replenished? Is this fast enough to provide adequate continuous power for a [cochlear implant|pacemaker|mathcoprocessor|frikkin'laser]?

I'm not opposed to cybernetic implants powered by the beer and pizza I already consume, but I sure want to know that the researchers and engineers did their homework first.

I'm not opposed to cybernetic implants powered by the beer and pizza I already consume, but I sure want to know that the researchers and engineers did their homework first.

Nah, sounds more likely that the people who have spent however much of their lives on enough study/research to build this thing, all just failed to consider the simple potential problem you came up with in under 15 minutes. That sounds plausible, have a cookie.

My cybernetic implant is already powered by glucose. It's an artificial lens on struts that was implanted in my left eye to replace the natural lens, and the muscles that focused the natural lens (before I got middle aged) focus the implant (I'm 60 and need no corrective lenses, not even reading glasses). Since muscles are powered by food, part of what powers the lens is glucose.

It seems like they could design any number of electronic implants to be powered by the body's natural movement. Maybe a pacemaker

Well, there is a little bit of a byproduct. You'd hardly notice, but there's a bit of, well, a teensy, tiny, little bit of psychosis. The depleted glucose mimics a neurotransmitter, but it's in such a small amount that it's basically zero.

It doesn't really matter unless you're putting a LOT of cybernetics in there.

If there is significant glucose in the CSF as TFA states, why is it there?

The glucose level is similar to the blood glucose level, this is because CSF acts as blood for the brain. Glucose passes through the blood-brain barrier easily, so this wouldn't get depleted easily any more than glucose getting depleted from blood does. Only diabetics should have a specific issue with this.

I have seen this coming for a while. Implantable computers, now with internal power supply, Google glasses, thought recognition. The Star trek vision of the Borg, though crude and ugly, may have not been far off the mark. Smart phones may already be making us dumber [psychologytoday.com]. It is scary to think where this will lead.

Everybody would not be required to do it, but everybody has a smart phone, everybody needs the newest, coolest features. Don't underestimate humans ability to unwittingly follow where the path takes them. With the ability to text or communicate with their mind, talking less and less, how long before speech becomes passe. If everybody can "Google" things with their mind, what is the point in knowing anything.

My priest mentioned this a couple of weeks ago. My thought was that if the unexamined life is not worth living, then perhaps unconsidered knowledge is not worth knowing. Direct feed data may be a waste of time.

you find the thing that feeds on spinal fluid less creepy then the stuff that feeds on blood?

have any idea how much we bleed? I cut myself all the time and that isn't including all sorts of other bleeding. We can stand to loose a little blood. But spinal fluid?... I'd just assume not f' with that.

you find the thing that feeds on spinal fluid less creepy then the stuff that feeds on blood?

It isn't because I don't like bleeding, or have issues with seeing blood, it's because the stuff that feeds on blood is biological, and so can mutate, and who knows what it will do to you if the mutated yeast becomes particularly virulent and dominant. While the stuff that feeds on spinal fluid is just a pretty simple chemical reaction with a catalyst, and doesn't have the ability to start self-multiplying in your body.

The fuel cell has no biological components: It consists of a platinum catalyst that strips electrons from glucose, mimicking the activity of cellular enzymes that break down glucose to generate ATP, the cell’s energy currency.

Dude, I am aware of that. In fact it is the specific point we are discussing. See my previous comments in this thread. Karmashock and I were discussing the differences between this technology: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16882-yeastpowered-fuel-cell-feeds-on-human-blood.html [newscientist.com] which is yeast and feeds on glucose in human blood, and the technology reported in the TFA which has no biological components and uses a platinum catalyst, but operates in spinal fluid.

Brother... Spinal. Fluid. Do you have any idea how sensitive that is? Blood is one thing... you can have increases and decreases in blood pressure without really having big problems. But spinal fluid is a different kettle of fish. You really don't want to mess with that.

All I was saying was that I would be too afraid to have a machine interact with it unless I had no options. To save my life?... sure what do I have to lose. But short of that, leave it alone.

Weird, I must have said something relevant to your point in alternate universe, rather than just picking on your grammar:)

But anyway, now that I've broken the rules and read the article, it sounds like most uses they plan on putting this to will be for people who have already suffered spinal damage. Those of us who just want to program the TIVO with their minds will just have to wait.

You really don't want to mess with that.

The MIT guys (and it might be safe to assume they have at least one medical degree between them) seem to think differently.

Doing all these fantastic achievements using lower cost components. Every time I read an article on Slashdot, it's always talking about some amazing achievement with solar cells or batteries using a combination of gold, platinum and unobtainium. Rare earths are going to get MUCH more rare in our lifetimes.

No problem, the free market will always find a rational way to subsitute resources. For instance, if freshly mined platinum becomes rare, then the street price of er, 'involuntarily recovered platinum' from slightly used cybernetics will rise to compensate...

I am a diabetic and would love this as an application for a sugar control. i suffer from type 2 so I have way to much energy in my blood. imagine this turn this into a capacitive electronic chagrining system. I am my own charger for my iphone, laptop, tablet... that is awesome

I'm a type 1 and this was the first thing that came to my mind too, i.e., glucose control.

Another thing that occurred to me: I wonder if utilizing the glucose can give an indication of glucose level in the blood? It might be an implantable, reliable, continuous glucose monitoring system as well as a system to burn off excess glucose. This sounds a lot simpler and more reliable than the "artificial pancreas" systems that are currently being developed.

This looks quite similar to a European effort reported last year [slashdot.org] that successfully tested glucose fuel cells in rats in 2010. This MIT one can be fabricated in silicon, though, so hopefully has the potential to be cheaper.